Banks got a boost from brokers’ ratings August 8, 2016 Banks were the kings of the stock exchange today after their shares received a valuable thumbs up. Barclays closed up 3.6 per cent at 157.40p, no doubt buoyed by Exane BNP upgrading it to outperform from neutral. [stockChart code="BARC" date="2016-08-08 12:22"] Barclays was the second-highest riser in the FTSE 100, following fellow bank RBS, which closed up [...]
Lloyds Bank faces legal action over equal pensions for men and women August 8, 2016 A trade union at Lloyds Bank is undertaking legal action to address the pension pay gap between men and women. The case could set a precedent for other companies, potentially costing them over £13bn, the FT has reported. Read more: Lloyds Banking Group to cull a further 3,000 jobs Lloyds Trade Union has described the gap [...]
The solution for undercapitalised European banks? Stop paying dividends, say academics August 7, 2016 Undercapitalised European banks have been condemned for paying out billions of pounds worth of dividends last year. New research has found 28 of the 34 publicly listed lenders that underwent European Banking Authority (EBA) stress tests, the results of which were published last month, paid out €40bn (£34bn) in 2015. The study – by Sascha [...]
Challenger bank Aldermore expected to show it can outpace the big players this Thursday August 7, 2016 Aldermore is expected to report a large leap in pre-tax profits when it reveals its half-year results on Thursday. Results released by banking's big players over the last fortnight have been rather gloomy, with HSBC and Barclays both reporting substantial slips in their profits and RBS revealing a £2bn loss. Meanwhile, even though Lloyds Banking [...]
Investment banks to earn a pretty penny off back of Monte dei Paschi rescue deal August 7, 2016 Investment banks are expected to pocket big fees from a proposed emergency plan for Italian lender Monte dei Paschi di Siena. The troubled bank recently revealed it was ironing out a €5bn (£4.2bn) rescue deal to bolster its capital with the help of Mediobanca and JP Morgan, although the deal is still tentative and may yet fall through. However, sources have [...]
This bank has already passed on the interest rate cut to some of its mortgage customers August 5, 2016 There had been concern banks would take a while to pass yesterday's cut in interest rates on to customers – but it seems those fears were unfounded, after one major lender said it was cutting the rate of standard variable rate mortgages by 0.25 per cent. NatWest – which is owned by RBS – said [...]
Goldman Sachs has warned Brexit might force it to restructure August 5, 2016 Bank of England hysteria aside, the fallout from the Brexit vote has been seen by many as relatively minimal. But now Goldman Sachs has added its voice to the doom-mongers, admitting it may be forced to restructure "certain of our operations" if the outcome of Brexit negotiations isn't to its liking. In a US filing last night, the [...]
RBS calls time on Williams & Glyn IPO as it opens discussions with rival bidders August 5, 2016 The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has ditched its plans to spin off Williams & Glyn as a standalone bank and will instead sell the division directly to one of its rivals The government-owned lender, which reported a £2bn loss for the first half of the year, blamed IT difficulties for the hold-up, saying it was proving [...]
RBS share price down on £2bn loss and Brexit warnings August 5, 2016 The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has reported a whopping £2bn loss for the first six months of the year, as it continues to pay the price for wrongdoing during the financial crisis. The bank also warned investors that, given the result of the EU referendum, it was unlikely to hit its medium-term targets and [...]
Mark Carney says UK banks have “no excuse” to stop lending after his new stimulus package August 4, 2016 Announcing a new massive stimulus package and a cut to interest rates, Bank of England governor Mark Carney has told banks they have no excuse to stop lending to the real economy. As part of today's package a new £100bn scheme was announced which will see the Bank printing cash in order to finance cheap [...]